Searching For Her Past
by IrisJean
Summary: A young woman, looking for what she once was, instead finds a young half demon who starts to shake things up and get things moving. Problem is, everyone's trying to kill the hanyou and a lot of trouble is already beginning to ensue for all...
1. Chapter One: The Mysterious Woman

1**Searching For Her Past**

**READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!**

**Disclaimer/Author's Note**:

IrisJean: Hello there! It is I, IrisJean, the author this story and owner of this account, here as the narrator of the upcoming tale.

Iris Jean: Greetings and salutations, this is Iris Jean, here as well. I am the main character in this tale, although this tale is actually about Mira. Maddie and I are just more important than Mira and Angela, which is the reason why. I am based of the authoress is some ways; mostly, however, I am a separate entity that is a mixture of Mira and Maddie. (Needless to say, for all of you who read the original versions of these stories, I have changed a lot—our darling narrator has gotten better at writing and developed herself, so I'm all better now.)

IrisJean: At the beginning or the end of each chapter—sometimes both—I will pop in with one of the characters in this story to discuss things or just say hi. This will most likely always be a charie of my own invention, or several people, depending on what I feel like doing. Here I can talk about important information and topics, or just goof around as I feel like. For example, right now we are here to speak to you about...

Iris Jean: Wait a moment.

IrisJean: ...WHAT?

Iris Jean: sighs We can't **both** be Iris Jean (spelled differently or not)—that'll confuse our readers!

IrisJean: Oh…good point. Alrighty then, from now on I (the author) shall be known as IJ, while you (my creation) will go by your nickname, Iri. It works out better that way. Now, as I was saying…

Iri: defiant How about no.

IJ: sighs, frustrated by the difficult attitude in Iri that she is used to in...well...herself (Madeline) And why in the hell not?

Iri: Just cuz. Now—how about I be SexySesshieSama, and you can be EvilBitch.

EvilBitch: Grrrr…

SexySesshieSama: mischievous grin—got that from Mira; (Mira: Yay! I'm rubbing off on that goody-two-shoes!) Alright folks, that's all the time we have for today. EvilBitch does not own the show InuYasha or any of it's characters, although she does "own" me and Hikaru and those other OCs (most of the original characters, in any case). Although…it is too bad she doesn't (and can't)

own Sesshomaru-sama…smiles seductively, adopting the vixenous smile and ears of Megumi Takani from Rurouni Kenshin—when did Mira take over her mind?

EvilBitch: disgusted by Iri's look; doesn't want to think about him that way EWWWWWWWWWW! THAT'S DISGUSTING! I don't need these images! mentally throws computer at her alternate self—hard—even though she is just as bad and way worse; never will be affected, never can be affected, but still doesn't feel like it!

SexySesshieSama: Hahaha! You missed!

FluffySesshySama: ...

_Chapter One: The Mysterious Woman_

**Iri** silently and gracefully fumed as she tugged her silver-and-black hairbrush through long and silky golden-blonde hair. It was a bit of a difficult job, but with years of practice, combing waist-length hair has become an art for her, something she is good at that gives her time to think and—hopefully—to calm down. She kept her emerald eyes closed as she completed her task with love and care, despite her angry disposition. Kneeling by a sluggishly-paced river, Iri had just bathed herself using a bit of soft cloth; she was now wearing a long silver kimono made out of silk most unlike anything that exists in her world today. She was feeling a little bit more than slightly miserable, in desperate need of a way to vent, but as a proper lady that is hardly ever awarded her.

There are several reasons for her anger, as well as a few that are more..."huh?" The three main ones are as follows:

1). She's tired;

2). She has no clothes to wear;

3). She still hasn't started a term paper that's due in...NEGATIVE SEVEN DAYS!

She has been unable to get much sleep lately because of a terrible onslaught of demons, which are more annoying than dangerous; Sesshomaru and her have had to work nonstop to slay them, however weak they are they arrive in numbers, to keep Rin safe (and you know Jaken is no bloody help). Many a night she has slept (more like passed out) propped-up against a nearby tree, textbook in her lap, only to be interrupted by one demon or another—she cannot even count the number of times she has had to use some spell cleanse her textbook of it's newfounded evil aura or mountain of blood and guts. All because of these distractions and obstacles, she has been unable to travel back to her own time and work on her term paper, which is a very important part of her irrationally slipping grade.

Iri is the most intelligent 17-year-old girl in all of modern-day Japan (and I am not saying this to brag any more than she would; it's the cold, hard truth). However, she has always been very beautiful and extremely kind, so few people ever even realize how much of a genius she truly was...is. Unfortunately, this is no longer as evident as it once was to those who matter most. Ever since she discovered, on accident, that she had the power to travel back in time to the land of magic and demons, good and evil, gods and goddesses, where history and fantasy comes to life, her grades have been steady declining—the worst is a D in AP Physics. _Especially_ since she "inherited" almost unlimited powers from her past life and ancient bloodline.

This slip was ESPECIALLY evident during the time in which she discovered that she loved Sesshomaru, he refused to admit the truth, and she gave up, nearly dying, breaking down. Everything worked out in the end, as happily as can be, but she still hasn't recovered completely from those events of nearly three months ago.

Iri is descended from power through both her mother (who is Japanese) and her father (who is half American—hence her completely not Japanese name); she is also the reincarnation of Mira, one of the most powerful beings of Japan's mythical past. Hidden in old, dusty volumes of the truth deemed fiction, hundreds of pictures of her can be found, history, powers, everything...not completely accurate or clear, but acknowledged all the same. The best always are; you just have to know where to look. Problem is, a lot of books and documents didn't survive, hence the worldwide denial of the truth.

Mira's infinite powers were said to only be limited by four things: her mind, her body, her spirit, and her soul. This translates into what she knows, what's she's trained herself to do, how she feels, and how much she can will herself to accomplish. Some parts of that, the details, are a bit fuzzy even to Iri, so she's not quite sure what it all means. There is still so much she doesn't know, despite all the research she has done—the only way to really find out is to be there and see all that she can see. Well, she's halfway there, at least.

That's what she has spent the last three months doing, mostly to get her mind off of the incident, as well as to state her curiosity and thirst for knowledge: she has been exploring, wandering, hunting down information and learning all that she can. Iri has gone off and dragged the others along with her. They don't mind, as unoriented as they are; and if any of them do, it matters not, for they say nothing out of fear. (Guess who I'm referring to there.)

As time went on, Mira's spirit, soul and bloodline has strengthened considerably. With each new life her soul grows and develops. Power builds up, remaining dormant until the difference is measurable and significant. It took five hundred some years, but here she is, back yet again. Her wisdom has also grown; this has all come together to produce Iri in all her glory.

All this means is that Iri is stronger and more evolved than Mira ever was...or is.

The world has grown, and so has she.

It took a very long time, but Iri has finally gotten Sesshomaru to open up and admit how he truly feels about her, how much he loves her and can't go on without her; the same as she feels about him. He knew from the beginning that she felt the same way, even when she didn't; however, he is so cold and heartless, that it took her actually dying to jar the truth out of him.

All that was needed for this was a gothic phase (in which Iri grew distant and depressed, detached and unfeeling—losing all of her friends, who still loved her but couldn't reach her, and growing apart from the family that loved her; in this time her grades also slipped so horribly that she was temporarily transferred to a...a..._normal_ high school for average students); several suicidal people (including and being mainly Iri herself); a lot of threats (from concerned family and friends who cared "too much"); wrath and anger (mostly from Iri's "sister" and more violent friends); many fallen tears (from Iri, her more emotional friends, and her mother); concerned and hurting friends and family (best friends who didn't know the real reasons why but hated anything that could do such horrible things to one they cared for so, as well as one who knew and hated Sesshomaru specifically); pissed-off family members (mom, at first, dad, until all was explained, "sister", who still hasn't gotten over it); and Iri's death (her suicide). But it all worked out fine in the end, so Iri can't really complain. Others can, but she's perfectly happy. (In fat, she thinks that it was all worth it—she keeps that belief hidden, because no one, not no one else agrees with her—or would if she told them).

Now iri travels with Sesshomaru (uh, no duh?), Rin (awww!), Jaken (ewww!), Ah-Un (cool!), and Iri's soul-creature, spirit-mate, other-half, life-pet: Sapphire Blue Blaze, the Blue Tiger. She is the demon who is Iri's own, personal companion, beast-of-burden, friend and guide. Without her she would have never traveled back in time to feudal Japan or even begun to travel with Sesshomaru. They are linked on a subconscious and spiritual level; bound together, in a way. Sapphire knows everything about Iri and is always there for her, no matter what may happen. She is an ice and water tiger demon of three forms: tiger cub, grown tiger, and ice tigress. She unlocked Iri's powers in the beginning and trained her until she is who she is today. In the beginning, Sapphire was needed; now she isn't, but that doesn't stop her from staying. She still has her uses. (She is a great tracker, hunter, guide, she can fly, and watch Rin, and…SHE'S TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!)

Sapphire, in the beginning, directly guided her to Sesshomaru as was her instinct, guided by fate; she is also the one who protected Iri from the dog demon until he had accepted her and begun to love her. Even then she stayed by her side. The very first action Sapphire served after they became acquainted was loaded down with significance not clear to the goddess until just recently; now she can be all the more grateful to the little creature. She is Iri's ride, Rin's defendant, their watch "dog" and protection, serving her in a way that Sesshomaru does as well. She is a great fighter and protector, as well as extremely intelligent and wise.

Iri returned back to earth; wondering why for only a moment, frozen and on full alert, she heard an odd noise for the second time, explaining why she was all of a sudden back down to reality. She sat perfectly still, fully awake and aware of all of her surroundings. There it was for a third time! A faint rustling somewhere in the bushes that surrounded the stream on each side...only the noise came from her side. She didn't recognize the aura, so whoever it was, it was a stranger. Along with the rustling Iri caught the musky, pleasant scent of cats—an unfamiliar cat; almost certainly demonic. She didn't move, not a muscle, brush pulled down halfway through her hair.

Even as she sat there she used her magic to reach out, search for, find and identify the source of the sound and smell. The noise-maker remained perfectly still, trying to avoid further detection; the first noises had been flukes, accidents, unintended and uncharacteristic. It was, however, far too late. Still, the intruder was not about to give up. They stopped their breath and stilled their heart. Iri didn't even need to use any additional energy to locate the tracker through hearing; her magic easily and immediately sensed the demonic aura (which was not as strong as it should be) and smelled their body (can't mask your scent by willpower alone). Iri could smell the fear, the sweat, the anger, and the horrible, painful hatred. Wait! There's another scent; she can't quite place it...Oh dear lord. It's blood. Human blood. _Female_ blood!

Iri picked up her small and extremely sharp katana from where it lay within reach, just in case. She was careful to stand up and move slowly, which was no problem for such a graceful and sneaky creature as her—she could be an assassin—as well as with intense caution; cockiness can get you killed far more easily than a more powerful opponent. The small katana was black-sheathed, white-hilted and silver-bladed, elegant and deadly. She kept her eyes on the offending bush, her ears on the one within, stepping slowly and at an angle. Her brush lay abandoned by the river; slowly she unsheathed the blade, creeping closer and closer to the cat demon. She took her time, careful to never alert the trespasser of her actions or intentions. The sheath was dropped down by her brush, and Iri was almost upon the demon...

Never did she look away, her face set and blank, eyes cold and focused. Paying more attention to smell and sight and intuition, Iri approached the trees underneath with the bush grew. This is where the peeping tom was hiding. Slowly she approached, stepping one bare foot over another, grace and skill and deadly beauty second nature to her. Cautious, moving slowly...

Then, standing before the push, she shot out with speed and precision too perfect for anything short of a demon lord to track, sense, predict or defend and react against, pouncing upon her unsuspecting prey. She grabbed the creature by the scruff of it's neck (actually, the collar of their shirt) and yanked it clear of the bushes, squashing all hopes or possible attempts at escape by gently but firmly placing the razor sharp edge of her katana at their throat. The intruder stilled before ever even moving. It gave her power, however grudgingly; the "human" was in control. Power dictates who wins, who loses, and who rules. That's the way of life: the strong ruling and the weak dying is all a matter of perspective—are they stronger or weaker than you?

This didn't last long, since Iri dropped her dagger out of shock upon seeing the peeper clearly for the first time.

This wasn't what she had been expecting in the slightest. For one thing, the creature was a hanyou, half human and half demon. For another, the hanyou was very young, perhaps forty or fifty years old, which is young for a hanyou (younger for a youkai). They could perhaps pass for fifteen or sixteen—seventeen was possible, but stretching it. Still wet behind the ears, another thing that shocked Iri was that this was a female demon. Not for any sort of biased reason, but more for the fact that it was a girl that was watching her. She decided not to think about that. The hanyou is half jaguar demon, half human, with long and scraggly black hair that would be beautiful if cared for; upon closer inspection it was spotted with lighter brown spots, like those subtle ones of true black jaguars. The woman seethed with pride, anger, hatred, contempt and a desire to prove herself, show others that she was strong and didn't need anybody for anything. She seemed to hate Iri immediately.

After all that, what really surprised our lady was the obvious lack of maliciousness. This hanyou values life, has respect for it, hates but does not kill frivolously; as if to make herself better than humans and demons alike. The blood was the hanyous—the female blood—although she bleeds youkai smelling blood, as some was leaking down her throat. A mystery, but at least Iri knows that it was not from some recent murder.

This hanyou was prideful and dignified; or, at least, she tries to be—a ferocious kitten—"she don't take nothin' from nobody." She knows that hanyous are no less than humans and/or demons (in fact, she may think that they're more than), and she wants to prove her knowledge to the world. She's grown up being hated by both sides of her heritage (same goes for all half-breeds) and she wants to show all of then that she is, by far, better than they will ever be.

She was, in other words, your average hanyou. Poor girl grew up despising demons for hating her, scorning her, shunning her, belittling her like she was less than they, weaker, to be despised like her other half's kind. Along with that she was raised hating humans possibly even more because she has been subject to their dislike since she was little, as well as being born with demon blood that hates them instinctively, their fear for her youkai relatives they can't take out on them, so they beat her, hurt her, insult her—and the demons do nothing. Humans fear her and her "kind", and what they fear they hate, and what they hate they kill—or at least they try to. They leave the demons alone because they can do nothing, but the weak, small, innocent, defenseless her is easy prey.

Iri immediately softened to this young girl, for she understands how she feels, although she has never personally gone through such horrors on that sort of a scale. She is empathic, amongst many other things, and she feels and knows what others feel and know. However, she has gone through something similar in her past, only on a much smaller and to a less deadly degree. But, at heart, it's all the same; horrible, painful and permanently scarring. Ever since she has gone through what she's gone through, Iri retains less hate and anger towards others, especially when she relates to them. She just can't stay mad at such a (relatively) defenseless and weak fledgling. Her grip became slack; which the demon immediately noticed and processed as a weakness.

This jaguar hanyou does not share Iri's sentiment in any way, shape or form, on the other hand, and she was prepared to use it to her advantage. All her life she has been subject to exile, outcasted by humans and demons—who are, when you think about it, so similar that it's no wonder hanyous are treated so horribly. Neither would ever admit it, of course. Even her own siblings on either end of the spectrum had turned against her; while her parents (the only human and demon who had ever loved and accepted her) died on her too early to ever really help her in this world that hates her. Now she has no one to trust, making her very bitter an resentful towards all.

She is full of intense loathing, seething hate, consuming detestation, and it has made her cold and hardened her heart, making her blind to all the good things about each, and about the world. In her completely biased, but far from unjust opinion, all humans are the same, all demons uniform. Horrible, despicable, evil. Bringers of hurt and pain. She has never seen or met any exceptions—for even her parents have hurt her, by dying; and her younger siblings don't count, they don't know any better—so she cannot even consider the fact that some may exist. (Stereotypes!) Although unsure of what Iri is, she hates her; for such has to be something, and the only two choices are human and demon (to her, in any case...she doesn't know any better). Human or demon, it matters not at the moment, for Iri is stronger, a threat, and she desperately wishes to be free. She is a threat to this hanyou's survival, and that makes her the immediate enemy.

Her motto, her belief, is that no human or demon can be trusted. They are all the same. They all want all hanyou's dead. They all deserve to burn in hell. They are all dangerous. Stay away from them, because if you don't, you're dead. Iri, however, is too strong to easily overcome and get away from, even with her slackened grip; too strong for the jaguar to break free...

"Let...me...go!" the cat demanded in short, breathless bursts, struggling against Iri's hold on her, voice a rolling growl which escalated to a desperate, angry whine from the initial bark-like and menacing tone. Despite the fact that resistance is always futile, and even she knows perfectly well that she cannot escape, she refused to give in, lay down and die. She continued to struggle, to push away. When Iri shook her head, saying no quite plainly, perfectly calm and solemn and unaffected, the hanyou began to freak out, afraid for her life. She saw that the end was near. There was no emotion in Iri's actions, and that frightened the jaguar; she didn't matter, her death would be so casual, and there is nothing she can do. All hope was lost; she shall never get free.

The jaguar's mind clouded and all rationale escaped her, primal instincts taking over; the desire to live was all that drove her actions now. She began to lash out, panic and desperation blind and deadly, a cornered rat wanting to live. The result of her wild, frantic, desperate fury and fear was the affliction of three deep, dark cuts across Iri's right arm, evenly spaced apart from one another, thanks to the hanyou's long and sharp white claws. Iri gasped—more surprised and in shock than in any actual pain—and let the hanyou go. The jaguar was so surprised that she dropped down, hitting her back on the hard and unforgiving ground, knocking the wind out of her.

Iri reached up and clutched her bleeding arm on instinct, although the area that was bleeding far surpassed the size of her hand. The cuts were very deep and bleeding heavily, but there were of no real threat to her; she is immune to infection, and unless her body falls into shock, she will produce blood until the end of time. Her legs gave out in a very human instinctual reaction, all of which she has not yet rid herself of. Her mouth was open wide in shock, brow furrowed slightly in pain. It was nothing, really, for one such as her, but her body doesn't quite know that yet.

So much blood was gushing out of her right arm, however, that Iri was having trouble halting the flow, which stained the ground and the river, her hairbrush, her blade and its sheath—not to mention her. She held her limp arm and gritted her teeth, vision growing blurry. Her breathing came out in short, difficult gasps.

"...Ow!" they both shouted at the same time, mutual delayed reactions to recent pains. For a single moment they were brought closer together through their shared pain and slight understanding. That soon passed, and Iri's look then held displeasure, while the hanyou's held even more hatred than before. They blamed one another fairly, but Iri still couldn't bring herself to hate the poor kitten.

Failing to have any sort of positive effect on her still bleeding arm without something to cover it completely, Iri tore her cloak and wrapped the silken fabric around her wounds. This helped somewhat, but the fabric was too thin and was soon soaked all the way through. The clothing's lack of substantiality also created another small problem; it had ripped too much under Iri's recklessly large amount of force, and so most of her near-naked body was exposed for all the world to see. Only a few tatters of her once glorious cloak and a sexy white and lacy set of lingerie served to hide the most private parts of her body from view.

All of her practical clothes are too ruined to wear, and now even the unpractical one is ruined. This was her last garment, a gift from her lord to herself! Luckily Iri is confident in herself, priding her body's beauty and attractiveness, also able to walk around naked without a shred of self-doubt or shame, a lady through and through, but that's not the point! She was awfully grumpy as she pushed herself up to a standing position on shaky but still stable legs; they were strong and balanced, so despite her body's violent reaction, she could stand without falling or wobbling too much. The jaguar demon, of course, had made no move to help—not that Iri needed any, of course. She remained laid down on the ground, glaring up at her captor, wishing more than anything right now that she would just fall into the rocky river and die.

"You stupid cat," Iri grumbled unhappily, not really meaning it, but needing some slight way to vent her anger—which had been building up before this and has just now taken a violent stumble into out of control. Her attention was directed on her arm and keeping the makeshift bandage on, even as she continued to speak. "Look at what you did! Now I have to walk around, bleeding and half-naked, attracting all manners of demons notice until I can get cleaned up and re-clothed, my wounds taken care of and so forth. This doesn't bode so well for you either."

The hanyou picked herself up and spat at Iri's feet in a very rude and defiant gesture. She didn't even try to hide her hate and disdain—not that she had at all before. "I'll do fine, thanks for not caring. Besides, it's not like it matters. If it kills you, good; the wound won't, but I hope demons come and devour you for it. You people deserve the hard life, far more than you will ever experience it, as is the unfair way of the world. You don't deserve life in the first place, and yet you are awarded good ones. As for your precious garment? Is that you feinting modesty? I suspect it'll actually boost your chance of survival; as bare at that, more will be attracted to you, to fight your battles for you, and protect you; all in exchange for your body, which I'm sure you give away freely in the first place, seeing as how all female humans and demons are whores, so no matter what you are you'll be free and available to whoever comes by..."

Silent, soundless and undetected, too fast and well-trained to be noticed, too careful and experienced to be seen, Sesshomaru had finally shown up, coming to Iri's "rescue" (he had heard her first exclamation, but he had been a bit far away; he had to determine if he should go, and then there was Rin...plus, not much time has passed). He quickly silenced the hanyou's offending speech by pressing his cold, sharp Tokijin to her throat in a silent order for her to fall silent, else her head'll be chopped off. She immediately obeyed, as any being would (should). (SexySesshieSama: Here to avenge, protect and shield! FluffySesshySama!)

The jaguar froze completely, hardly even daring to breath, willing herself not to move. She begged the gods for luck, so that her body would obey and not award the angry demon and further reason to slit her throat. Sesshomaru, the merciless demon who acts without hesitation or compassion, remained perfectly still, waiting, his eyes cold and mind unclouded by rage or any other sort of dehabilitating emotion. Blank and indifferent, he was all the scarier for it. His grip was so hard and unforgiving that Tokijin began to cut ever so little and droplets of blood began to roll down the cat's neck, causing her to shudder, sure that she was going to die.

The only thing holding him back was Iri's presence; not even his relatively newfounded "humanity" (morality—a human trait very few of them seem to possess) was doing much to keep him from killing the half-demon. If it wasn't for that one, extremely key factor he would probably had never stopped, just kept going, taking her head completely off—well, actually, he probably would not have come, but that is not the point. Instead he waits to kill her—something he will probably do no matter what.

_He wanted to kill her so badly…all it would take was one jab forward, one slight wrist movement…so close…just one little lean-in would have done it, slitting her throat and letting her red blood flow…_

Iri withheld no desire for her Sesshomaru to spill any blood in the defense of her honor (which she is very sure of, hence why no "protection" is needed)—she would have been honored, this is true, but it would be a pointless waste of life. This hanyou is not (that) dangerous; in fact, she is most likely innocent, a pure soul in a cynical body. Iri knew that she could get through to and help the poor girl, given time. Her kind and gentle nature didn't want life wasted; her helpful and intrigued nature didn't want this existence to be a failure.

She stepped forward, pushing Tokijin down with two fingers from her left hand, hardly exerting any actual pressure. It wasn't her that forced the blade down, but Sesshomaru who complied and did as she wished for him too. All hints of any possible bloodlust dissipated, and he finally lowered Tokijin all the way.

He turned to her and, upon seeing her soft warning glare, he relaxed the rest of the way and re-sheathed his blade in compliance. (EvilBitch: There is no actual sheath for his Tokijin, but whatever). He then pulled himself up to his full height, and although it in and of itself is not all that intimidating (he stand 5'8" tall, Iri stands 5'4" tall, while the hanyou is stretching 5'3"), his very presence is so strong that it seems as if he is seven feet tall. (EvilBitch: Yoko comes to mind...) The cat cowered in fear under his strong, frightful gaze. She clutched her throat, which was cut a little in some places, blood warm and pulse throbbing.

_Great! Just wonderful! As if all of this couldn't get any worse..._

Silly rabbit...you must never say—or even think—things such as that. Because then, as an end result, things get worse—_much worse!_

Iri bent down next to the jaguar-hanyou, feeling no shred of fear or worry, still holding the blood-stained cloth in place against her bleeding arm, wounds steadily gushing even now. Her blood dripped steadily, creating a small pool by the cat's leg, which began to run like a river to the lake of her already spilt blood, which had begun to soak up into the ground, awesome nourishment for the trees—demonic or normal, it matters not; they all love it a whole lot.

She made sure that they were at eye-level with one another; her emerald orbs of concern and kindness met the burning black pools of distrust and scorn—eyes which portrayed hatred and loathing, eternal hurt, pain and suffering; but above all that, fear and desperation for her life and safety, sadness and an underlying need and desire to be loved, which she is sadly ashamed of, trying to hide it, hurting her own heart all the more.

She would have liked nothing better than to slice Iri to ribbons right at that moment—how dare she know so much about me, as if she has the right!—but she wanted life and moderate safety more; you can't get everything, so you must weigh what is most probable and more desirable. Iri sighed sadly, knowing of her thoughts and inward desires—the ones on the surface, I mean. Sesshomaru could sense them, even, from where he stood several feet away.

_Frightened and angry young bloods are awfully irrational and bull-headed, hard to get through to and help...how annoying for me and troublesome for us all..._

"What's your name?" Iri asked, deciding to begin with the formalities; these tend to warm people up, get them comfortable, making everyone seem that much more human and on the same general page. Aside from that, names are titles to be worn with pride, necessary for people to be able to address one another and know a little bit about them, avoiding confusion and awkward attention-seeking. "Mine is Iri, his is Sesshomaru." She even avoided titles.

The half-demon avoided nothing; she didn't answer the question. "Mine name is none of your affair!" she spat angrily. One cold, cruel glare from Sesshomaru that Iri either didn't notice or pretended to miss shut her up and made her feel awfully compliant. Iri just waited patiently, knowing that she would give in. Her tone lost none of its anger, rude force, pride or defiance, but at least it did as it was bid: "My name is Hikaru Maila Bara, daughter of the Great Lady Jaguar Fuumi Mila Bara and the honorable Lord Shinichi! I am half earth-jaguar and proud of it! As for you, you whore of a human, demon bitch, disgrace to us all, you can just rot in hell, so don't act like you care about me when I know perfectly well that you don't, same as all the rest!"

Iri grew wide-eyed; her head hung down sadly, her eyes closed and her hand went up to hold her throbbing temple. _Shit! How stupid do you have to be? How stupid can you be? She knows of my power, his power, his care, his presence...and yet she says such things? He was set off by less from before! I just don't get it._ Hikaru must have been relying on Iri's ability to hold Sesshomaru back or something, because she spoke as if he couldn't reach her; as she will soon discover, Iri can't stop everything—especially not Sesshomaru when he's bent on killing someone...especially for her. He gets so angry and uncontrollable—she's screwed.

His eyes flared red, his fangs bared. Lunging forth, he grabbed Hikaru's throat seconds after her eyes grew wide with fear and realization. Yanking her up and throwing her back, she hit the trunk of a tree, standing momentarily paralyzed as he advanced. Iri rose swiftly, hoping that there was still time for her to interfere. She didn't see that as likely by the look in his eye.

"God-dammit-all-to-hell!" she cursed softly under her breath.

What must be done to reverse her stupidity? What can be done? Is there any hope for her puny life? Is there any hope for redemption? Nothing short of bloodshed will disperse this demons inhuman wrath, and knowing that I somehow doubt that all will be spared...

**READ AND REVIEW…OR DIE!**


	2. Chapter Two: The World's Largest Idiot

1**Searching For Her Past**

**READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!**

**Disclaimer/Author's Note**:

EvilBitch: No, I do not own the characters of InuYasha—

SexySesshieSama: —not even Sesshomaru—

EvilBitch: —nor do I own the show itself—

SexySesshieSama: —no matter how much I may want to.

EvilBitch: I do, however, own (as of now) the characters Iris Jean—

SexySesshieSama: Moi.

EvilBitch: —Hikaru Maila Bara—

Hikaru: Me.

EvilBitch: —Sapphire Blue Blaze—

Sapphire: Mreow.

EvilBitch: —and many more to come. If they were born from my mind as Athena was born from Zeus, then they belong to me. If not, they don't. (This is not always a good thing…)

FluffySesshySama: As I would know.

SexySesshieSama: One last thing! We'd like to apologize for the length of the chapters. IJ was not as good a writer when these chapters were first written, and as a result they are a bit long, no matter what she does; if fact, they grow longer for she has better techniques and more to say. After the third chapter it shouldn't be so bad. If you have read this—and then that—far, we love you, and you shall be blessed. (Actually, the third chapter may not be that bad either. This is what happens when you neglect to work on stories except after much time has passed! Writing changes! Ugh.)

EvilBitch: Meaning that only the one to be mention next shall be loved and blessed.

_ANSWERING REVIEWS_:

**kuramagirl44** Yes, aw—me and Sesshomaru! laughs I'm glad you like it so far. You are of course in this one, and you are of course Hikaru. (Yay! You finally grew a brain—sorta. You're pretty sure? (I have no idea of any of what I was saying...)). Idiot…I love ya, gurl! You rock my socks! You are my number one fan, and this whole story is dedicated to you. Hehe, please enjoy my only loyal reader. This return to these stories is all for you, love.

_Chapter Two: The World's Largest Idiot_

**Hikaru** Maila Bara, daughter of Fuumi Mila Bara and Shinichi Haruyuki, has many great and admirable qualities. She is loyal, and strong; wise, and understanding; she can take pain and discomfort without complaint; when she loves someone nothing else could be stronger. One of these abundant number of qualitites would be her intelligence—yes, yes, I know it's hard to believe, but that's the truth: Hikaru is very, very intelligent, smart, whatever you would like to call it. Clever. Wise. However, as has been made evident by most recent past events, this intelligence—while it includes wisdom—does not come with common sense, which she most obviously lacks. I used to believe that Kami-sama awarded every living creature with at least some of this stuff—hell, I used to think everyone got at least a little more than a little—but apparently I was wrong on all accounts. Kami-sama just skipped over Hikaru, denying her that most helpful luxury.

She is a very smart girl—potentially genius like Iri, had she been born in the modern world—but she can also be very slow and stupid, as if mentally retarded and defective; and this always pops up at the very worst of times, as dictated by Murphy's Law. It's her sense of pride, mostly, fed by her habit of speaking her mind...yikes; not always such a good thing! She is fully aware of Sesshomaru's wrath—strong, terrible and abundant—she has seen it firsthand almost kill her. It's all great and terrible and worse and just downright bad. He has a short temper ONLY WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE HE LOVES, and so she pushes his buttons by insulting Iri for a second time, RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. She made her position worse by combining all of these things that are already against her; way to go, uber-retard!

His tolerance of insulting idiots such as her was waning very quickly, his anger increasing quite rapidly, and so she goes on ahead and causes him to snap, allows him to let it all out by insulting Iri to her face with him standing nearby to see it all very clearly. Whatever thoughts were running through her head at the moment that she did such a boneheaded thing would more than warrant a slap. In other words: she is the dumbest smart person EVER!

**S**eriously now! Had it not been for the beautiful, self-sacrificing, caring, all-powerful, extremely present Lady Iri, Hikaru the Village Imbecile would have been dead right there and then; if that had been the case, then she would not have been worth mentioning, an idiot who got what she deserved. But, the truth is that she was mentioned, and she will play a huge role in the story to come. (EvilBitch: As was said in the summary. SexySesshieSama: So it was...) Lord Sesshomaru did not kill her, and she is not dead..._yet_.

The only reason that Hikaru even survived is because Iri acted quickly, moving before her mind that completely thought her actions through, before she could finish weighing the pros and cons of each situation; if she hadn't, Sesshomaru's Tokijin would have sliced her in two. As it were, she swung his Tokijin, creating a large arc that seemed to take an eternity to complete it's path, aiming right for Hikaru; it would cut her in half. But, Iri acted with speed unheard of in a human, rather irrationally, throwing herself before Hikaru, pushing her back, trying to get both of them out of the way. If she had moved a moment sooner everything would have turned out perfectly; a slight miscalculation made all the difference. The very tip of razor-sharp Tokijin connected with her stomach, slicing open skin and fat and muscle, but on Iri, not Hikaru—the jaguar was unharmed.

Everything happened so quickly that Hikaru never processed it fully, not even after the fact; she never saw it coming—she didn't have the time. It didn't even make sense. If things had gone "as planned" she would have been dead before even fully realizing that she was about to be murdered. That's why Iri is far more powerful. She saw what was happening, knew what her lord was like, predicted what would happen, saw it coming; more than that, she knew how long it would take for the decision to click, how long the sword would take to move and swing and cut, how far away Hikaru was, how much force was needed...everything. She acted faster accordingly. Everything was perfect.

Hikaru didn't see until Iri fell backwards onto her, limp, spraying blood onto Sesshomaru, onto the hanyou, knocking her back down to the ground; her natural reaction was to grab the goddess and try to hold her up, although she still fell back, shocked by what had just happened and surprised at the newly added extra weight, cushioning her fall and preventing further injuries.

Hikaru was shocked. No, shocked doesn't even begin to describe how she reacted to everything that had just happened. Horrified. Traumatized. Stunned. Those words describe it better. Her coal black eyes widened to an impossible size as Iri fell down on top of her, causing the both of them to fall over and hit the ground with a single, gargantuan thud. Everything seemed to be moving at a slower space, as if a higher being was doing this on purpose; Sesshomaru grew slightly wide-eyed as Iri's stomach spewed blood in all directions, soaking Hikaru's white shirt, his hair, his face, his armor, his sword.

The red liquid splashed all over Jaken and Sapphire as well; they had arrived mere moments before, Sapphire being the first to come, sensing danger for her person, with Jaken following. Rin was hidden behind Sapphire's full grown form so that she did not see the blood, the carnage, the horror. She was too young to see such things, especially when they happen to those she loves. All present were too shocked for words; too shocked for breath, even. Rin was too stunned to be shocked, frozen solid, uncomprehending. Ah-Un was the least startled of all; even Jaken was more so than the beast-of-burden—and he hates Iri!

"...Iri!" gasped Sesshomaru, Rin and Hikaru simultaneously, as if three bodies to one mind. Iri's blood continued to flow at a quick and heavy pace from her abdomen, dark blood gurgling out of her mouth in delicate trickles down the sides. Her eyes were growing cloudy and distant, her breath gasping and uneven; she was going into shock, which was the worst thing that could happen at the moment. (Remember what I said about blood and going into shock for ones such as Iri? Yeah—not good.) Her arm was no longer bleeding, all blood exiting her body out of the gaping red hole just above her bellybutton. The flow may not have been all over the place any longer, but it seemed to get worse, gushing out thicker and darker this way. Torn bits of cloth flew off in every direction, ruining her garment all the more even as it was completely drenched in blood. Her undergarments were now all red, her entire body slick with her lifeblood; such expensive red dye...

Iri looked like a mess, a corpse that hadn't died yet, veins still pumping blood out where it did less good for her and more good for the trees, who were loving all of the nutrients and strength being awarded them. Her stomach became a waterfall, her cloak a small vest over her shoulders, lingerie red and plastered against her ivory skin losing it's luster, hair sprawled about her head like an angel; a fallen, dying angel ready to return to Heaven...

Sesshomaru threw down his Tokijin as major league baseball players do as they beginning running towards first base, allowing it to go in whatever direction it so pleased for whatever distance at whatever force for whatever time, forgotten and no longer cared for. The loyal lover threw himself down calmly beside his love with no regards for his own, completely white clothing; they would be permanently stained if she never rose again, but he would care about nothing should that come to pass, so it matters not. Hikaru quickly scrambled out from beneath the fallen angel so that Sesshomaru could cradle her head without her body's interference, still beyond shocked, unable to see, to perceive, to comprehend; everything was a blur, nothing made sense; she just doesn't know any more!

**Hikaru** was incapable of believing and understanding that Iri had saved her life—the life of a complete stranger—without any inhibitions or regards for her own existence; and now look what has become of her kind and giving heart. The ultimate sacrifice. _It's all my fault..._ She couldn't tear her gaze away from the body of her savior and possible martyr; she values all life, and Iri just spent hers to save Hikaru's...the ultimate gift.

The large gash that Tokijin had opened across Iri's abdomen had missed all vital organs, but several arteries had been hit, the cut going deep but "lucky"; it won't stop bleeding. And even worse than that, Iri had gone into shock; her body was just that of a human now, unable to make more blood fast enough to last an eternity. It was bleeding so very heavily that no one knew how she could possibly survive; how can humans overcome such wounds? They can't. Not in this time period; not in her time period without massive care quickly administered. She will bleed out if action is not taken immediately; her shock will turn into a coma, and then she will be lost, all blood soon to be gone. Her vision was blurred, her hearing shot; her mind intact. She heard one thing before she died; only one thing reached her loud and clear before all went black, unconsciousness taking over, everything then to be decided by the fates, her decisions having already come and gone...

She couldn't tell who was speaking, or how many said these words, but she heard them all the same. "Oh God, what have I done?"

**Sesshomaru** was frantic without being frantic, as only he can accomplish. He didn't know what he could do about her wound—he isn't a doctor, and humans are still vast mysteries to him, for he didn't care before semi-recently. All he knew was that if she didn't get help soon, she would lose all of her blood and die; as simple as that. And it's not like he would be able to bring her back using his Tenseiga; although she has been reduced to a human now, her body chemistry is closer to that of a goddess, and since goddesses are not collected by those mere imps (or whatever the hell they were), but by the Goddess of Death Shinigami herself, he could do nothing about her passing if it came to that. The last time any of this mattered to him he had been given a reprieve; a dose of sympathy, a hint of luck, a body not yet transformed...but such a miracle would not happen a second time.

If only Iri was conscious, not in shock! Even if she couldn't heal herself, she could at least continue producing blood, so that if they forced the wound back together everything should be fine, at least buying them much needed time. But she's unconscious by now, losing color and warmth fast, out stone-cold—they are on their own.

Rin had collapsed out of shock and repulsion, short legs no longer strong enough to keep her standing. She has seem far too much for a girl her age, and as a result of that she knows perfectly well what death looks like; there's a certain feel in the air, a presence of something gray and heavy and sad; you don't even need to see to know that death is nearby or approaching. Still, she never thought that she would see her lady fall, a victim to this great sort of tragedy. She buried her face into Sapphire's fur and sobbed silently, her little body shaking slightly. Sapphire wanted to go to Iri's side, but Rin needs her more right now; there is nothing she can do for her main mistress, only her little one. All she could do was hope and help those who need comfort.

Jaken was buzzing around, extremely high-strung and excited, frightened for Sesshomaru's wrath, which may come because of this event, lashing out at any and all who are near enough to feel it. Truthfully, he hates Iri and wants her to die, but he does his best to never show that—it would cost him his life, betrayal on that level. He was fluttering around comically, spouting useless bits of information that were impossible to understand and not at all useful. Worst of all, the little toad wouldn't shut the hell up!

Sesshomaru wanted—no, needed—peace and quiet with which to think and determine what he should do next. In order to get the troublesome pest to stop speaking, the dog demon lashed out, punching him perfectly in the center of his face, knocking him out with a blood-stained fist. He hadn't even seen the perfectly timed and placed strike coming. Only after silence fell over them all did Sesshomaru realize that he needed Jaken's assistance to try—and hopefully succeed—and save Iri's life. He swore under his breath. _Stupid!_

Hikaru finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was actually only a minute or two, got over her initial shock and proceeded to wordlessly help Sesshomaru in his futile attempt to halt the flow of blood. She was wearing a pair of flaring black pants, a white shirt and a sleeveless red vest; she shed the vest, laying it out of reach of the blood, ready for later use. By the way it coated their hands and squished through their fingers, it was even easier to tell that only the most advanced and strongest magic or medical treatment would serve to save this young woman's life. Jaken lay several feet away, his face punched in and turning purple, knocked out and rendered completely and utterly useless.

Even as they fruitlessly tried to save her, Sapphire and Ah-Un were leading Rin away; she shouldn't be seeing this, two sweaty demons trying desperately to keep an unconscious woman from crossing over into death. Rin was sheepish in her movements, her hysterical reaction prevented only by her shock; her physical illness never hit because of her violent reaction, for she was numbed from the start. Lucky girl.

"Damn it all," Sesshomaru levelly cursed under his breath, a bit sour, rubbing his forehead with his hand, somehow not smearing his love's blood all over his perfectly pale skin.

"What did you say?" Hikaru demanded, her tone no longer cold or rude, just exhausted and far from in the mood; she was not happy, mentally spent. Still things refused to make sense, swirling around in her brain, desperately trying to fit into the square way of the world, like edged puzzle pieces trying to shove themselves into something oval. She was helping Iri, the woman she was moments before insulting and hating, hoping for her survival and well-being, staying when she could be escaping and saving herself from the demonic anger that would come her way sooner or later.

_Is she, the human-hater and demon-despiser, Hikaru, making an exception in her bias against humans just for Iri? The same one she had just called a whore—and who was hurt because of it? How ironic; she is the one doing the defending, and yet she is also the one to feel the pain that was supposed to be inflicted upon her offender. One thing and one thing only is for sure—she isn't making an exception for Sesshomaru._

"I said 'damn it all'," Sesshomaru told her, failing to process that as a demand, and a curt one at that, coming from the one being on this planet he hated the most right at that moment.

"What for?" she inquired, asking another question, which he still failed to process; just answered blindly, praying as is so unlike him, but seems fitting for the situation.

"I need Jaken for me—for Iri—but now he is knocked out so he cannot do what I need him to do," Sesshomaru explained softly, failing to actively point out that he was the one who knocked him out so foolishly, hurting his own chances of saving the one he loves. Besides, they all know the truth; why reinforce his mistake?

There was no active embarrassment in his voice, but there was something similar to it; it was so subtle, so faint, that it took Hikaru a few moments to realize that it was there. And as soon as she did, she proceeded to make hacking, choking noises. They were soon discovered to be laughter, and not only was Sesshomaru not amused, but he was pissed; anger from before, added to by her open mockery of him and the very real possibility that his love would die ("because" of her), accumulated and formed wrath most unlike any we have before "seen" tonight. A deadly sin, that is.

Her barking, hack-like hysterical laughter rose in volume as it continued to burst forth from her rose petal pink lips, echoing against the trees, the sound growing as it bounced back and forth off of the tall, magnificent members of the forest that seemed to be Iri's final resting place. It left Hikaru nearly rolling around in her glee, despite Sesshomaru's anger, Iri's condition and the pools of blood at her feet. This laughter was born, not so much out of amusement, but more out of being overwhelmed with emotion and despair. It wasn't the nicest of laughs; painful for the one who had it as well as those who hear it. The blood had halted its flow, so it didn't matter that Hikaru—and then Sesshomaru—removed their hands from her bleeding stomach.

Quite absent-mindedly, Hikaru tried to redeem herself and silence her own laughter—and while this was pointless, the damage already done, it was also stupid, because her hands were covered in blood. And so she smeared hot, metallic blood all over her face, some of it getting into her nose and mouth—it tasted warm and sickening; staining her lips red as if with badly administered lip paint. This only seemed to make Sesshomaru angrier, although by this point he was so displeased that it didn't much matter any more.

"Is something funny?" Sesshomaru demanded, his tone humorless, soft yet heard loud and clear, sending unpleasant, freezing shivers up the hanyou's spine. He stood up, fists loosely clenched, glaring down at Hikaru with dulled yellow eyes. For some odd, crack-headed reason, the fuming, towering figure of the pissed-off demon only served to amuse Hikaru further, sending her horrible laughter into overdrive, grating on the ears of all who could hear it. It was as if she would choke on her laughter before the demon lord could kill her.

His dangerous glare, golden pools darkening to amber, irises now trimmed with red, which was enough to make the bravest men and demons tremble somehow served to amuse Hikaru. Apparently, Iri's "death" had pushed an already unstable "woman" over the proverbial "edge". It's always the good ones that fall first...She was unable to suck in air to breath she was laughing so hard. Lack of oxygen resulted in some violent coughing that sound as if it threatened to dislocate her lungs. Now it appears as if she is choking...(EvilBitch: Oh my god, Hikaru is crazy, messed up in the head and completely and utterly insane. SexySesshieSama: This is true in this story as well as in the real world, you know. EvilBitch: Yes, I do.)

"You are such a stupid dog!" she was finally able to exclaim through all her coughing and her laughter; Sesshomaru flared. "And now your woman will die for it." Her voice grew calm and serious as she said that last part, accusing; her words struck him hard. She paused and silence fell, allowing for that truth to sink in and have its full affect on the poor dog. Her stomach began shaking violently, in reaction to her earlier coughing, and thus developed another nasty, lung-expelling cough.

Sesshomaru does not take insults—or fools—lightly; especially at times such as these when he is so close to the edge of losing his humanity, falling off of which would result in many bad things occurring. Right at this moment many things are pushing on him, to the point where he is ready to let loose, and here comes this ignorant hanyou, insulting him as if he wouldn't kill her. Well, Iri is unconscious, potentially dead, and nothing is for sure any more. Not to mention that he was already feeling pretty sore towards her because it is, in essence, her fault that Iri lays there dying. Add the fact that she is a cat and a human combined—his two greatest dislikes—does not make things seem so happy for Hikaru in the near future. She is the biggest idiot in all of the world, and soon to be the deadest as well.

"Stupid cat," he rumbled, finally losing what control he had retained up to this point. He had know Hikaru only for a little while, but already she was in the running for the hanyou he hates most—only a few steps behind Inuyasha; can you believe that? (And considering that Inuyasha is the one who cut off his arm and has done all sorts of other things, that is really saying something!) This time Hikaru is "smart" enough to shut up, but it's a bit late for that. Sesshomaru's wrath is back once again, and it will not again dissipate until the one he despises is smote down and destroyed!

Now Hikaru is officially frightened. (Retard took long enough!)

He bent down and grabbed Hikaru by her collar, which was spottedly stained with Iri's blood, and lifted her up in one fluid motion. His grip is much stronger than Iri's, and he is really intent on killing her with no hope of mercy or compassion, so unless he lets her go, Iri miraculously hops back to life, or Hikaru slips out of her shirt (which wouldn't save her for long—plus, she would rather DIE!), she ain't going nowhere.

He lifts her up high, an arm's length above his head. Looking up, his eyes were blood-red and murderous; he would enjoy killing her. Hikaru felt a tear stream down her cheek; she was scared. If she survived, those eyes and his words would haunt her forever... "No Iri here to save you now..." His voice was deep, scratchy, husky and inhuman..._Oh Kami-sama_...

The same exact thought had occured to Hikaru as well, moments before he reinforced it. Her eyes were opened wide, full of fear, moist with tears that refused to fall. Sesshomaru held back one clawed hand, ready to come forth, positioned to—with one quick forward swipe—cut open the hanyou's exposed throat and kill her once and for all. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip until it bled, pouring sweat; her mind raced, trying to think of a way out, trying to think of a way to save her sorry, stupid hide—but all her mind did was draw blanks.

This looks like the end...

**Secondary Author's Note (Disclaimer Above)**:

EvilBitch: As it very well may be—permanently. You understand, the only reason I did this update in the first place was because I was bored. Trust me, I won't be so nice a second time. Unless I get some more reviews I refuse to update any further. I mean it! I shall not flinch from this resolve! REVIEW OR NO MORE CHAPTERS!

Hikaru: Oh, what the hell are you getting so worked up for? You and I and all of your friends know for a fact that you'll only get a couple of reviews and then you'll update _yet again_ because you're a big old softie…

EvilBitch: fuming, a bit stressed Watch it, baka akihoto neko! I haven't written the next chapter yet, so I can still have you die!

Hikaru: getting nervous, unsure of truth in her words But that would mess up your plans…

EvilBitch: resolute Not necessarily. I can always have Sesshomaru slay you painfully and then make your death of some other significance—an added plot twist, a bit of surprise. That's why it's so great being the author—you can do whatever the hell you want.

Hikaru: You wouldn't!...Would you?

EvilBitch: Wanna try me? I could rearrange a few plans and incorporate your death as a major part of the story. Besides, such a shocker may increase my reviews that actually pertain to the story! That would be something…ironic, too.

Hikaru: …Eep…

EvilBitch: smiling smugly That's what I thought.

Madeline: **READ AND REVIEW OR DIE**!

Hikaru: softly, begging Please? For me?... I'M BEGGING, READ AND REVIEW OR **I** DIE! whimpers

(((EvilBitch: Also, I must say this before we leave—if you have any questions about anything, details, characters, vocabulary or whatever, then review, PM or email me about it. I am willing to listen, help and do all that I can. Just so you know. Peace out!

SexySesshieSama: I have some classified information for you...this is all outdated, and the third chapter its already on its way! It may even already be put up! It's been a while, and so the above doesn't really count anymore...

EvilBitch: Hey! You...And I'm EvilBitch? I hate you! They weren't supposed to know that, dumbass!

SexySesshieSama: Unlike Hikaru, I do not fear you; you won't kill me.

EvilBitch: I already did.

SexySesshieSama: I meant permanently. I am one of your finest creations and a main character. You cannot be rid of me.

EvilBitch: I could kill Sesshomaru.

SexySesshieSama: You wouldn't.

EvilBitch: You sound awfully sure of that.

SexySesshieSama: I know you.

EvilBitch: ...Damnitall.

SexySesshieSama: Hehe, I always win. TTFN, Reviewers!)))


	3. Chapter Three: Not Him!

1**Searching For Her Past**

**READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!**

**Disclaimer/Author Note**:

EvilBitch: Hey...something just occured to me.

SexySesshieSama: What is it?

EvilBitch: You are SexySesshieSama...my other FanFiction account (along with many of my other accounts)...so why can't I be IrisJean, the name of **this** FanFiction account?

SexySesshieSama: Hmm...I guess you can be.

IrisJean: Yay! (So now your not really Iri, you know that, right?)

SexySesshieSama: Hon, I haven't been Iri in a good long while.

IrisJean: ...Hello, Mira.

SexySesshieSama: Heya, babe!

Hikaru: Our fabulous authoress, the Lady God greater than Kami-sama herself, IrisJean, still does not own Inuyasha, which makes her sad; however, she does own this fic—and me!—and if you dare steal any of the plot, the words used, the characters or anything else, I will personally find you, kill you, hunt down all your family and everyone you have ever met. Then she shall bring you back to life and you will really be made to pay!

SexySesshieSama: You have been warned, yo.

IrisJean: Hikaru, you are such a suck-up. Mira, you're just on crack.

**Answering Reviews**:

IrisJean: **KuramaGirl44**! I glad you want to know what happens to you, although I doubt your pleas will be noticed and/or listened to. As you can see, this is the next chapter, and if I put it up there must have been a reason. Why would Sesshomaru kill you? Are you nuts? (In this fic) you called me a whore! That warrants death, in my opinion. (In real life he likes you fine now, though. Hey, you know what I just realized? When I use something from real-life to make a story, I stop working on that story, and the info becomes outdated! Like my yu yu ficcy...Isn't that funny?) You are always crazy, but I get your point. You would never call me such things. (Maybe Mira, but she not here yet, and you will!) You will know what happens next if you read on, silly rabbit.

SexySesshieSama: **Chaotic Insomnia **(_formerly known as Nights of Insanity and Insanity Nights_)! I would never kill you for not reviewing; not even the old me would. I may have beat you up, but never would I have killed you. Not even when we were fighting. And now I love you more than ever. Thanks for reviewing; it's been a long time since I've worked on this. I doubt you'll want to read anything up to the third chapter—they are too damn long. Sorry! Once you pointed it out I did know I used despite too much, and there is no way its still there by this point. (I think it was fixed way back when, 'cause I didn't notice it this time around). "If you don't know what else to say, that means it is perfection!" (I said that before, and now I go HA!; it's much better now. Perfection attained...just kidding! Not that full of myself!) And don't you worry, I won't stick my head out a car window and shake him off!

Madeline: **You Are A Bambishka**! What's a bambishka. Do I know you? Why do you think I'm a bitch? (_How did you discover my secret? It's outdated now, but still!_) ...I wonder who you are.

Iri: **RoseOfTheYoukai**! Such a long review is welcome, and I thank you for doing so. It's too bad you don't have an account; you have to get one! I know my story is awesome—it is now in any case—and I glad you said it (it warms me up inside). I love Rin too. And of course Iri is too cool for words! And here is some more. I use my favorite lists as a bookmark, but I can recommend kuramagirl44 and Chaotic Insomnia quite highly. Your idea isn't crappy; I was thinking of doing that, but I wasn't sure, and now I think I will. Thanks a ton! (I have to check my reviews to remember what it is you said, though...) I **love** Fruit's Basket and InuYasha too! And I do care, because they're awesome (and so are you). Those characters you like are awesome, and most of them live at my house or at the houses of some of my friends! But my friend is wondering: Are you crazy? Yoko! Hiei is cool, but Yoko is...is...blegh! Please do keep on reading, and get an account. (It would be Bara no Youkai since no is possessive, meaning "of". So Bara no Youkai would literally by Rose of the Youkai, or Demon's Rose.)

IrisJean: **Hellbourne Alchemist **(_now known as something else – Misery loves Me, I think_)! Did you just call me a fucking whore? Thank you, but no, I am not. Sorry about that review; I was a different person back then. Less understanding, more rude, less developed. But, now that I am a better person, I realize that you are even less of a person than even I thought for reacting as you did, tainting my review box with your complete and total non-review. The fic I still hate, although some of your other ones are pretty cool. Good-bye and so long, rude little mother-f...

_Chapter Three: Not Him!_

**Hikaru** could see Sesshomaru's sharp claws as they reached the top of their parabolic arc high above her head, catching the light of the hidden sun and glinting dangerously, already dripping with blood transferred onto them from Iri's stomach. She knew that she had little time to think herself out of this mess; her mind was drawing a blank, and it was all over now. But there's still time! She must use her brain to get herself out of this mess—and fast! There would be no second chances. After all, she's plenty smart; she just needs to start proving it to herself and to Sesshomaru, because if she doesn't...bye-bye goes little Hikaru. This is her last chance, because you can't prove things when you're dead.

When the answer finally did hit her, the simplicity and obviousness of it struck her so hard that she froze, mouth open and eyes wide, looking rather stupid. Sesshomaru noticed and figured that she had something to say. He didn't care. It wasn't until he was almost successful in the killing of her did she shout out: "Wait!"; causing him to freeze, curious. He moved his hand slightly so it rushed past the hanyou, leaving her unharmed, who nearly passed out and died from that alone. After waiting a few seconds and finally feeling nothing, Hikaru opened her eyes. Sesshomaru was waiting. This in and of itself was odd. But then she saw the look in his eyes: sadness. She saw sadness. He really did love Iri, and because of it, he wasn't quite himself.

"Well," Sesshomaru said, slightly impatient; his voice sounded normal, but we all know better—even Hikaru. (Hikaru: Hey!) "What is it?" His tone was demanding, unforgiving, and that really frightened the suspended jaguar. Her lips formed the words, but all that came out was a croak-like bit of breath; her voice box refused to work properly. He glared at her, which did nothing for her nerves; her mouth was dry, and she felt really dizzy... Her luck and accidental good timing, as well as his love for Iri and phenomenal reaction time, was about to be wasted by her gutless, fearful silence—forfeiting her life once and for all.

Sesshomaru sighed softly and raised his claws yet again, muttering, "If you're going to be difficult..." He began to bring his claws down again. The fact that he was going intentionally slow passed over Hikaru's dense little head. (Hikaru: Hey! IrisJean: Oh, shut it.)

His claws were at her throat when she finally spoke up again; geez, you give and you give and you give, and still she almost wastes it all. She didn't notice that he had been waiting all that time. "You need me to save Iri!" she finally called out.

That got his full attention. He allowed his arm to fall limply to his side, although his grip on her didn't loosen; he just moved her down to eye-level, somehow even more trapped than before. "And how is that? Explain yourself quickly," he demanded emotionlessly; today was not his day.

It was now or never, and it seemed likely that Hikaru was going to screw up yet again. (IrisJean: DON'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING! Hikaru: O.o...Meep!) Finally she got over her speechlessness and spoke, after thinking about how to best word the sentence that may save her life. "If you kill me, Iri will die. But if you let me live, I can save her life."

That got his attention. "How so?" He still wasn't convinced. Now this really was to be the sentence that shall save her life; if she messes this one up, all shall be over...You don't mess with the loves of great demon lords like Inutaisho's, Inuyasha's, or Sesshomaru's. Hikaru felt hope surge through her; his voice dropped, the change was slight, but it meant that she had a chance. Now her mind began to work, intelligence making up for a major lack of common sense. (Hikaru: You guys are so mean to me! SexySesshieSama: Yup!)

"I see how your eyes shine, Sesshomaru. You love Iri, and you don't want to lose her. You don't want her to die—even if that means allowing me to live. I can save her, Sesshomaru. Let me go, and I can do what Jaken is now too unconscious to do. I can get help; she still has a chance. Kami-sama shine down on us all, tell me what to do, and I will make sure that Iri lives to see many days to come."

That was a beautiful speech, calm and level despite her feet hovering above the red-brown dirt below—she really is clever. Holding back on us, she was. She still hates him, of course, but people will do just about anything to save their own skins...as well as the skins of those they care for; Iri saved her life, and when someone does that, you feel a bit closer to them all of a sudden. A mystery, I'm sure.

Sesshomaru's grip loosened. He looked away, thinking. Finally he closed his eyes and let her go to fall painfully back down onto the ground. It doesn't matter; her clothes are so filthy and bloodstained in any case, a little dirt won't make any difference. She feels filthy already.

"You will fetch help if I allow you to go..." Sesshomaru stated, thinking about it. Hikaru nodded; he didn't see. It didn't matter. He turned to her, eyes blazing, more brilliant than the sun—at least they weren't red any longer! "If you run, and Iri dies, I will hunt you down. If you fetch help, and it fails, and she dies, I will hunt you down. If you cannot find help, I will hunt you down. If in any way, for any reason, Iri dies, I will hunt you down and make you experience pain like nothing you have experienced ever before. Do I make myself clear?"

For someone who isn't much of a talker he just said a mouthful. Numbly, Hikaru nodded her head. _Oh Kami-sama, please don't let me die..._ "Yes."

Sesshomaru seemed calmer, more distant, contemplative. He stared out over the trees, towards the hidden horizon. He was off in his own little world with his own little thoughts, ignoring Hikaru's existence. He was thinking, trying to figure out who she could fetch that may be able to save Iri's life. His lack of recognition was something she ought to have been grateful for...but, strangely enough, it made her feel empty, exposed, cold and alone.

Iri groaned; Sesshomaru ignored it. Hikaru crawled over to Iri and peeled the once magnificent cloak off of her shoulders. The blood had begun to dry, and the wound was no longer bleeding; she appeared to be "out of blood", so to speak. Iri's brow was slick with sweat as she shuddering slightly from side to side; she looked as if she were in pain, haunted by nightmares from which she cannot escape. Hikaru shushed her, wiping her forehead off; Iri calmed at the warmth of Hikaru's hand on her freezing cold forehead. Covering Iri's torso and hips with her vest, Hikaru did all that she could do to help—which wasn't much, but in such instances, it's everything.

Rin walked back into the small clearing, no longer crying, her eyes dry; she looked perfectly normal. She wasn't laughing, however, and her brown eyes seemed a bit duller, older, less humorous. She wasn't smiling, her face set and blank. In her small hands she held a bouquet fo very pretty, nice smelling flowers—purple, pink and yellow ones, small, with green leaves and stems, roots still intact with some dirt clinging to them. She seemed solemn, as if tired but not drowsy; almost as if she were mourning the death of a long-dead relative she was close to as they lived.

She set the flowers down next to Iri's head; the woman turned slightly, as if to rest her cheek on them. Hikaru gasped, wide-eyed, amazed. Still Sesshomaru did not turn, although he knew Rin had arrived, and Rin merely smiled slightly—a horribly sad and depressing gesture. "Milady loves flowers," Rin explained to Hikaru, who had tears in her eyes; "When she wakes up she'll want something pretty smelling to make her feel better."

Hikaru lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, trying to halt them. She didn't sob and remained totally silent, so only Rin noticed, and she said nothing. "Who shall I go fetch?" Hikaru finally croaked, not knowing what else to say. She didn't want to be here anymore, surrounded by such love and pain that she felt was all her fault. Besides, the sooner she leaves the better chance she'll have of saving Iri and then not dying.

Sesshomaru remained silent, as if he hadn't heard her, or was just ignoring her existence. After a few seconds, Hikaru was about to speak up again; although this would test his wrath, she needed to know, otherwise Iri would die, and she would follow soon after. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity; another grain of sand lost in the hourglass that was her life. However, as if to save Hikaru from her certain demise, Rin spoke up in her usual, kiddy-voice—although now she seemed more somber, grown up and mature; calm and collected, as well. Which was odd. "Hikaru-kun could fetch Inuyasha-sama. Kagome-chan is good with medicine."

Sesshomaru turned his head; Hikaru recognized that look in his eye as the one he had when he was about to kill her. It only flashed, however, and was gone by the time he began to speak.

"I am not going to ask that bastard of a brother of mine for help!" he snapped, more at the thought of his half-sibling than at Rin, one of the few he would never snap at. She knew that quite well and so she did not get scared. Hikaru did, ironically enough.

Rin shrugged and spoke again, sounding wise beyond her years. "I know you hate him, Milord, but we have no other choice. He's our best bet; that's all we can do. For Iri." That struck him so hard he cringed lightly. "And you would do anything for Iri-sama, of course. Right, Sesshomaru-sama? Even ask your younger brother for help? Correct?"

Sesshomaru scowled and was forced to agree, nodding his head as if it pained him. "Yes...but if I beg for his help he will never respect me. I will appear weak."

"He doesn't respect you now," Rin pointed out indifferently.

"He fears me," Sesshomaru countered.

"But Iri-sama is more important," Rin reinforced, ending the argument.

Sesshomaru knew it was over, but he still wouldn't give up. "No. She is, but I refuse to beg for his help. She'll have to fetch someone else."

"Who?" Rin inquired; he said nothing. Then her face lit up. "There is one other that could save her! I could take Sapphire and go to her time, grab Tora-chan, and she can come here and save Iri! That's an even better plan; you were right, Milord. That is the much better course of action."

The dog's mouth twitched and his pupils narrowed. His whole body rejected that idea. The demon lord turned all the way and faced Hikaru. "You are to go and fetch my brother, Inuyasha. Bring him here immediately, or your life will be forfeit. Go. Now."

Rin was smiling again. She had won. Things would turn out alright. Her lord and lady have never failed her before; she trusted them with all of her little body. Iri would not die; Sesshomaru would not let her.

Hikaru had still not moved. Sesshomaru glared at her, eyes making direct, frightening contact. "Are you waiting for something? Go get Inuyasha. Now!"

Never mind the fact that she didn't know what Inuyasha looked like, what direction he was in, or how to find him; when Sesshomaru speaks in that tone of voice, you obey, or you die. She had finally learned something out of all recent events. And so she leapt up and began to run; the direction was completely random, and it didn't really matter. _Oh, please, Kami-sama...let this be the right way...if it's not I'm dead meat!_

With the hanyou finally gone, Sesshomaru knelt down beside Iri and straightened her out, tucking the vest in, wrapping his tail around her legs to keep her warm. Rin snuck out fo the clearing, praying in that small child, kiddy sort of way; she skipped over to Sapphire, mounted her, and they silently took off through the forest.

None of them, least of all Sesshomaru, realized that Jaken and Ah-Un were nowhere to be seen.

**A**fter a few minutes, Hikaru had run several miles, and so she felt it was safe to stop and collapse down by the river which flowed toward Iri and the others; thank god. If it flew in the opposite direction it would be stained red and undesirable for use. Hikaru felt about ready to pass out; not from the running, but from a lack of oxygen thanks to all that fear and shock. Taking several deep, harsh but refreshing breaths, she felt almost back to normal. Her head was spinning and throbbing some, while she felt downright filthy, but things were already getting better. After several minutes of laying there, seeing spots, slipping almost into unconsciousness, Hikaru sat up, leaves and dirt sticking to herm getting in her mouth, twigs tangling themselves in her hair. She didn't really care. She spit them out and quickly dunked her head into the river, which was deeper here. She let the slow paced but still moving water wash over her sweaty brow, her bloodstained face. Coming the larger sticks out of her hair, rubbing the dried blood off of her cheeks, she felt a lot better, even though her shirt was now sticky and stiff, her mouth still stained with the taste of the hot, metallic liquid abomination. She could feel her heart beating, and she needed a few minutes to breath and relax, think and calm down.

Things had happened so fast; it seemed like a mere minutes ago that she had been hiding in those bushes, eager for a drink; having accidentally come across another creature had made than a necessity. She was waiting for a chance to get some water, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. She wishes now that she had moved farther downstream; why couldn't she just have waited another minute or two? Stupid!

Hikaru wiped most of the water off of her, slicking her hair back some, and pulled herself up. Looking around, she tried to figure out where to go next. Everything looked the same as it had before; same small clearing, same river, same trees. Only difference is no blood and no woman horribly wounded in two—technically four—places because of her..._Snap out of it! Mustn't think like that! You have a mission to complete; focus!_

Another difference: she couldn't see the sun any longer. It was hidden by some trees; at least she knows the direction from which she came. It would be embarrassing to go back to where Sesshomaru waited with his love. Deadly, too. But that was it. She knows from where she came, but these forests aren't that familiar to her, and even if they were, she still doesn't know enough to find Inuyasha!

She's as good as lost.

Panic threatened to take over. If she didn't find this mysterious Inuyasha—and soon—Iri would die. And then, more importantly (to her, at this moment) she would as well. Iri had just become her top priority, which was sadly ironic. It was her responsibility (although she saw it as more of Sesshomaru's fault, but this isn't the time to argue) and she was going to make things right...or die in the process.

_Plus, I think this one might be different. Sure, she was dressed...blegh! Only a breastband and a loincloth (or whatever the hell those odd piece of cloth were), her cloak open and exposing herself, but it didn't seem like she liked it too much. She didn't hate it, and she had dignity about it, but she seemed upset about it when I insulted her, so it seems as if she didn't have a choice. Her not complaining is commendable, actually; whiners are useless. She's not useless. She is a rarity among full grown humans...or perhaps demons. I can't tell which._ Hikaru sniffed the collar of her shirt, which Sesshomaru had gotten Iri's blood all over; her overly-sensitive nose scrunched up at the strong, offensive smell. _Human, most definitely not demon. But...that's not all. She's something more even than that. She's powerful; something in her blood sets her apart. I can't tell what it is, but she is definitely more powerful than me. Maybe even more powerful than that son-uva-bitch she travels with. Man I hate that guy._

Jaguar demons are well-known for their intelligence; the ability to perceive and understand things other people pass over or miss. (As well as for their ability to hold extremely long grudge for-freaking-ever.) Camouflage and puzzles are their strongest points; they brag about them all the time. They notice what others miss, see what others are too blind to see, hide as if invisible, unable to be found. No one hides better than those whose specialty is to expose the truth. Very hard to conceal against. However, these strengths are not always good things. They are sought after, captured at young ages, to be raised as hunting dogs for lazy-ass humans who are just that cruel. They become average animals, slaves, no longer glorious demons, but rather common dogs, docile and beaten.

The very thought of it makes Hikaru feel sick and pissed-off both.

She knows all of this firsthand, from her own tragic past experiences; or rather, should I say, from what happened to her youngest and most darling siblings, Fuumi and Fuyumi, full-jaguar demon cubs; the only ones born after her, her mother's twin daughters.

Hikaru was physically and actually thirteen years old at the time; she has just reached the age at which jaguar-hanyou's stop aging normally and begin aging at a much slower rate. Fuu and Umi had been born a few years back, their aging already slowing down some. They are darling little girls, a bit chubby, giggly and energetic. They loved everyone and everything, too little to know how to hate; they didn't know any better. The rest of her siblings, human and demon, hated Hikaru; her father had died and her mother was always away. She would spend her days having her food stolen from her so that she hardly had enough to eat, while the most comfortable and soft places to sleep were taken from her, as her jaguar siblings beat her, her human siblings taunted her; all she wanted was love, all she got was scorn. Her only real pleasure, her only real protection, the only real goodness in her life came from her youngest siblings.

After her father died, her mother took her in; she already had many children from her previous mate, and she was just about to give birth to twins from her current mate. Her human siblings were all older, crueller; heirs and heiresses, bastards the lot of them. Ten female jaguar siblings she had; all of them pure evil. Only Fuu and Umi made her want to keep on living. Her mother was always away, so although she loved Hikaru, she could do little to help her. All her children ran free, living in a very large area of forest and meadow that fell into the human boundaries of her late father. She could never be free of her family, her vile family, so similar in their hatred of her, although they also despised one another...

One day, Hikaru took Umi and Fuu out for a walk, so that they could play under her supervision. She was sore, limping along thanks to last nights beating: she was used to the pain. Fuu and Umi didn't understand; they hardly even noticed. She laughed and winced, happy in spite of the pain, her love for them so great that it took the edge out of the nauseating agony. Ignorance is bliss. Hikaru sat down to rest against a tree, at the edge of the forest; she told them that she was tired, that they should go on and play, she would watch them.

She must have dozed off for a moment; a moment only. For she opened her eyes with a start, the two girls gone. A scream; a horrible scream ripped through the air. Then another. When one would die down, the other would pick up again. Screams of fear, of pain. Screams that set into motion the most horrific and painful event of Hikaru's life, then, now and forevermore.

It will haunt her to her dying day...

_I heard Umi scream first. I knew it was her because she is the less high-pitched one of the two. She'll be more serious and less flighty when the two of them grow up. It was also more demanding, as she is. A regular little princess. I immediately shot to my feet, grimacing at the pain; my side hurt, I think a few of my ribs were broken. But I didn't care. I began running, hearing Fuu scream next, more frightened; crying. I couldn't see them. In front of me there was a green hill, which they must be over. I'm coming, babies, I'm coming._

_I ran faster than I had ever run before or could ever run again. It was difficult, it was painful; I would regret it later. But as long as they were safe nothing mattered any longer. Not even my own life. I would regret it far more if I didn't save my little sisters, my babies, my angels, my darlings..._

_I came in sight of them just as the screaming stopped, the children silenced. I saw both of them, wide-eyed and fearful, in the arms of big, burly, cruel-looking men. They had covered their mouths; Fuu and Umi struggled, but it was useless. The men were too strong, too horrible. Knives were at their necks, touching their jugular veins; what monsters could do such a thing! I grew angrier than ever before in my life—a life of resigning myself to pain and hurt, because that is my curse. I would not stand for it now!_

_I ran even faster, fire in my black eyes, my claws tensing, ready to render, rip, tear, kill, main, wound, break, torture and wreak havoc and judgement upon those bastards!_

_They saw me coming and laughed, as if I posed not threat, a simple teenage girl. "Oh look, we've angered the older sister, and now she's come to make us pay." Louder and more horrible laughter rose up; the babies shrieked, frightened, crying._

_One of the men casually stepped forward, cocky. He didn't even see my claws coming, hacking off the head of his axe and his body. Leaping over his body and torpedoed for the others, landing several feet before my younger siblings. They all froze, frightened, surprised; my claws dripped with blood. I felt dizzy, but fought off my body's urge to get sick or pass out. Just...a little...longer..._

_Several of them roared, angry, and began to advance upon me. I killed them; killed them all. My first kill, my first mass murder. Ten lay dead or dying in a matter of seconds, only about five of them left. The one holding Umi handed her off to the one holding Fuu, and the four advanced on me. This time their weapons were heavy, blunt things used to beat the life out of animals. My vision was blurry, my movements sluggish; I was only able to slice one in the arm before being beaten into submission._

_I lay there, bleeding, beaten half to death. I heard them leave, eager to escape from the crazy demon they thought was dead. I shakily lifted myself up, tried to call out; only blood came up. I threw up the contents of my stomach—acid and blood—before passing out. I couldn't even lift a finger to stop them, say good-bye, call for help—anything!_

_And I knew, as I watched them disappear through closing eyes, that I would never see those little ones ever again._ They thought Hikaru would die; they were too scared of more of her coming to make sure. Moments later, Hikaru's siblings showed up, finally responding to the commotion. They found tracks wiped clean in both direction and a beaten, dying Hikaru laying there, hardly breathing. There was no way that anyone short of an expert tracker could follow after them, and Hikaru's oldest sister Hitomi is inadequate. Hikaru was knocked out, their mother gone. It was too late. They were gone.

Everyone knew to what they were going. Enslavement, to sell, to grow, to breed them for their senses and intelligence. "It's best ta get 'em young; tha' way thar stupid 'n' weak 'n' easy ta tame 'n' control, 'cuz if ya get 'em older, they'll rip yar throats out. Little thar also easier to whip 'n' tame, 'n' if ya grow 'em up nice 'n' docile thar tha best trackahs; you'll get tha best prey, 'n' thar strong, so you'll soon make back yar money, provided ya don't kill 'em!" Hardy-har-har. They were as good as dead.

Hikaru was beaten by Hitomi, used as a scapegoat for the lost children, again left to die. Somehow she got up and limped away, to heal elsewhere and escape her siblings. Mother Fuumi was in despair; when she ordered Hitomi to fetch her, Hikaru was gone, the track too cold for her to follow. The Great Jaguar could take life no longer. She fell ill and died. Hitomi took her place, and the jaguars collectively feared for their future.

Hikaru went off to search for her little siblings, and even though three years have passed since then, Hikaru hasn't given up. In fact, when trying to sleep at night, she tries to imagine her angel babies as they would be now; looking five or six years old; they could probably talk now, maybe have lost some of their baby fat, still adorable but more "grown up". It makes her feel better, imagining them safe and sound and beautiful and happy...

Hikaru shook her head, splashing water everywhere, forcing her mind off such things; now is not the time. She has other things to do...more important things...In order to find and save her sisters, she must live, and thus Iri must live. So now it's time to think, to try and work her way our of this predicament; else many people will die...

She has no ideas, and so unless Kami-sama blesses her and Lady Luck is on her side, the probability that she will fail is high...

Hikaru perked up, on full alert; she heard something. There! There it goes again! A rustling in some of the nearby bushes. Mostly hidden black ears twitched at every small sound and bit of leaf movement. Slinking towards the offending noises like a cat on the prowl, Hikaru was able to tiptoe to it without being noticed. Finally the rustling subsided, but it was too late; just like before, when Iri found Hikaru in the bushes. Looking horribly frightening with her shirt plastered onto her body by blood, hair dripping wet and claws still stained, Hikaru dove forward and grabbed the intruder by the scruff of the neck.

Whatever "it" was, the creature was slightly slimy and scaly. Hikaru recognized the feel of blood, slightly dry on its hide. Yanking the beast up, Hikaru exposed a kicking and complaining Jaken. Ah-Uh emerged from behind some trees, munching leisurely on some nice, tasty grass.

Hikaru's ears bent back; she growled, "You. What are you doing here? Why did you follow me? Did Sesshomaru sent you? When did you wake up?"

Jaken scowled at her and kicked her hand, causing her to yelp and drop him. "No, he doesn't know I've awoken. And he never shall! Once I am done here I shall sneak back and resume my state of 'unconsciousness'. Then I cannot be implicated and things will go back to the way they were...Now if only I could rid myself of that pesky little human girl, I could have Lord Sesshomaru all to myself once again..."

Hikaru knelt down by the toad. "Are you planning on killing me?" she demanded, a bit shocked; not at all scared. After being threatened by the great Sesshomaru himself, nothing can frighten her anymore...except, of course, the inu-taiyoukai himself.

Jaken looked up, as if he just then remembered she was there. "Oh...I forgot you were still alive...Easy enough; my magic staff shall handle this..." Setting the Staff of Two Heads on the ground, he aimed and fired; at such a close range he couldn't miss...unless Hikaru knocked him off balance and ducked to the side to avoid the stream of fire.

Grabbing the staff, she tossed it aside and stood up. "Why you pesky, malicious, disgusting, rude, conniving little toad bastard! You're planning on killing me so that I can't save Iri and you'll be the only one left, free from blame..." Having figured all that out rather quickly, she glared at the beast, who shook from fear underneath her unsettling anger. Sesshomaru has never been all that angry with him, and so it was a new feeling; one that frightened him nearly into passing out. Ah-Un was chewing on some leaves now instead of grass.Hikaru didn't feel like killing the little toad; so she kicked him instead. However, she kicked him a little too hard, and so he shot forward and hit a nearby tree so hard that he really was knocked out; the tree itself shook, and a few odd looking fruits fell out of it, so Ah-Un went over and began eating them.

Just then, as if higher beings have declared that no peace or periods of calm without action may exist in Hikaru's life any longer, someone burst forth out of the trees behind her, from the direction into which she had been traveling earlier. Hikaru turned swiftly, on her hands and feet, ready to attack or run. Standing there before her was a half-demon with long silver hair and yellow eyes, wearing a white shirt much like Hikaru's—only not covered in blood—as well as pants like hers, only red, with a red hakama over that. (IrisJean: I think I have the vocabulary right—it's really on and off, huh?) Quickly following him, three humans, one young fox demon and a large fire cat burst forth from the trees into the clearing.

"What is it, Inuya—" one of the humans, an odd looking girl showing an indecent amount of leg, inquired, stepping forth. Apparently she could not see Hikaru. Upon realizing what it was her companion was staring at, she froze, eyes wide, shocked.

Hikaru knew what she was about to say. Looking at the half-demon, she asked, "Are you Inuyasha?" She already knew. If the girl almost saying his name wasn't enough, the resemblance was striking, the scent similar. It was him alright.

He didn't answer. His forehead furrowed inward, creating a sharp upside down-V with his brow and glaring eyes. In an angry tone that told Hikaru she was about to die, he said, "She smells of blood...Human blood...and a lot of it."

A moment later, a demon slayer, a monk and a half-demon began to advance on her. _Oh, great—just great! Looks like Kami-sama grant me my wish, to find the ones I need to save Iri and myself, only to have them want to kill me because I'm innocently covered in blood!_ Lady Luck gives just so she can take away.

Inuyasha reaches forward, grabs her, lifts her up and throws her back, unsheathing his sword and beginning his executioners advance...

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